No Leaf Clover
by Lost Experiment
Summary: In the beginning, there were six…and not a single one could have suspected that attempting to complete their education would cost them so much. How did these normal students become the foundation for a force that nearly destroyed a dozen worlds?
1. Chapter 1

**Title:** No Leaf Clover

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** A bit of language, Spoilers if you've not played through Kingdom Hearts 2 in its entirety, or don't know everything there is to know about Organization XIII. I don't really know at present what or even if I'll be doing in the way of pairings, but this chapter is fairly tame in that regard at least, in spite of several comments to after-hours activities.

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts is the Intellectual Property of Disney and SquareEnix.

**Summary:** In the beginning, there were six…and not a single one could have suspected that attempting to complete their education would cost them so much. How did these reasonably normal science students become the foundation for a force that nearly destroyed a dozen worlds?

* * *

**Chapter One**

Fall in the Radiant Garden always brought with it slightly cooler weather, a change in the scenery and a great deal of life to the Bastion, whose base began to come alive with students beginning on or returning to the road of pursuing their future career.

Among the sea of chattering young people stood a man in his mid twenties, with long messy black hair and attire that suggested he'd recently been on the losing end of a nasty fight with a clothes hamper. A shred of equally wrinkled white lab coat hung out the front of his open bag, and he had a pair of safety goggles instead of sunglasses perched atop his head. One foot (flip-flops) kept a steady rhythm against the pavement, while students on either side of him bustled in and out of the nearby cafeteria. His name was Braig, and despite his age and rather neglected appearance, he was in fact a member of the small and rather distinguished group of research assistants that would be completing their PhD in Science this year.

The class itself consisted of only five members, and was referred to as such mostly as a technicality. In truth, each was independently working his thesis statement in their respective branch of natural science, but grouped together under one of the most brilliant men in their Kingdom. Braig himself was working on a dual degree in biology and chemistry, Xehanort and Even were a rivalrous pair of biology majors, Eleaus was often out in the Crystal Fissures for geology, and Dilan was in the process of supplementing his degree in business with graduate studies in physics. It was on account of Dilan that Braig was waiting here today; he'd stepped into his dorm room with bags still packed, only to find that a message was already on his answering machine line.

As if on cue, a hand clamped down on Braig's shoulder, and he spun in surprise.

"Hey! Good to see you!" Recovering himself, he exchanged a friendly half-hug with Dilan, who pulled back and smirked at him in return.

"You too. Nice look for you. Love the flipflops."

"Nice dreads." Braig retorted teasingly, referring to the short mess that hung around Dilan's eyes and ears. "I decided this year, why bother. We're going to get so busy that we'll just end up looking like this anyway. I'm not going to prolong the issue. So. What's this all about?"

"You said it, actually. I just figured I'd try to see everyone before we start getting up to our eyeballs."

"Ah. So that begs the question, is 'everyone' going to be here?"

"Not sure. Even might be, and I told Xehanort, but you know how he is about keeping commitments that aren't lab report deadlines."

"Ahhh. Probably locked up in his room practicing his marriage proposal to Dr. A, right?" Braig cackled, and Dilan couldn't help but smirk. Xehanort's opinion of their mentor was definitely bordering on hero-worship.

"Left a note for Elaeus, but I'm not too sure where he's got to."

"I think he's TA-ing the undergrads this year or something." Braig said, wrinkling his nose. "I don't envy him in the slightest. Little beer-swilling, class-skipping, ungrateful snots, the lot of them! Shall we?"

Dilan laughed as he followed him inside, knowing full well that his friend was joking. On top of the fact that Braig himself still spent a lot of quality time with the beer, he'd also just described (with the possible exception of Xehanort), their own Undergrad education.

As it turned out, Even was already there, seated with a tray at a table. They caught his eye and waved, Dilan looking disdainfully around at what passed for food, then deciding in the end to grab only milk. Braig was far less discriminating, deciding to brave whatever questionable item the chef had to offer.

No sooner had they sat down and said their hellos, than Eleaus arrived. He sat down next to Dilan, followed closely by someone else whom he hadn't noticed when they walked up; Eleaus' huge bulk had completely hidden him from view. The sudden flash of white hair made him wonder if Xehanhort hadn't decided to join them after all, but this kid was far too short. Probably a first year who'd gotten lost.

The big man sighed, rooting around in his bag and finally tossing a packet sandwich onto the table. "First day back, and already I don't even have time to buy a proper lunch. Not that I constitute any of this a proper lunch." He gestured around him.

"Mpfgle." Braig pointed out around a mouthful of dining hall pizza.

Dilan looked at it distastefully. "I think I'm going to switch to Chem' and dissect that for my dissertation. I believe I may find some form of new bacteria."

"I think it's made entirely of congealed grease." Even pointed out from the other end of the table, poking a fork hopelessly into his slightly wilted-looking salad.

Braig ignored both of them, swallowing, then clamping a hand melodramatically to his forehead. "I dunno what I'm going to do yet."

"Dissertation?" The kid who'd been sitting with his butt hanging half off the bench at the end of the table looked up a tad tremulously, shaking shaggy white hair out of his eyes.

"Um, aren't you a little young to be here?" Braig raised an eyebrow. "There's a bunch of first years at a table over there shorty. You might do better with kids your own age."

"Ienzo's got permission to do an advanced undergrad study." Eleaus spoke up by way of introduction, then turned towards the younger student. "And yes, your Dissertation. Don't tell me you've forgotten already. We discussed it during my office hours when you came in."

Ienzo looked abashed. "I'm on it, I'm on it! Uh, hey, what can you tell me about this 'Prof. Ansem' guy? I've never heard anyone from last year talk about him."

"He's not easy." Eleaus shook his head. "Please tell me you'll get some early studying in."

"He likes when you talk to him in his office." Even muttered, even though it looked as though it pained him to give out extra information to rival students.

Braig set the crust of the pizza down on his plate and caught Dilan's eye, smirking. "You forgot the best part."

Dilan nodded. "Yep. You get two free marks on EVERY test he gives you. One's for knowing your name, and one for knowing the bonus question."

Ienzo looked excited. "Bonus question?"

Even Even chimed in for the group effort. "What's his favorite flavour of ice cream?"

Braig smirked. "It's sea salt. Believe me, you'll know it in the first twenty seconds of your first class with him."

"But woe betide you if you don't know anything else..." warned Dilan.

"Which you will, if you go to lectures!" Eleaus sounded almost pleading, and Ienzo's face took on that guilty look again.

"Seriously though, you'll learn stuff." Dilan promised. "He sounds like a total flake at first, but he really knows what he's talking about."

"When it comes to Science." Braig added. "I don't think he'd know what day of the week it was if the Ice cream place didn't close on Sundays."

Ienzo mulled this over for a second, then looked up curiously. "Wait. When you say 'Ansem', you don't mean that 'Ansem the Wise' we all grew up listening to...well I grew up listening to my parents rattle about, do you?"

Braig pulled an expression of deepest shock. "Do you hear that? This one listens to his parents! There's hope for him yet!"

Dilan rolled his eyes and turned back to the younger student, while his friend continued his theatrics. "Right in one. You're too young to remember it, but he definitely helped King Cormier improve the quality of life here, and is highly popular for that reason."

Ienzo nodded, looking almost serious for the first time since he'd sat down. That changed rapidly and he was suddenly smiling again, picking up his half-eaten pizza and looking around for a bus tray. "Cool. Thanks, but I gotta go. I'm meeting some friends to go drinking in town tonight."

Elaeus looked ready to admit defeat, but Braig and Dilan grinned and nodded.

Even shrugged, apparently unconcerned with what the new guy did so long as he posed no threat to his own academic standing. They all stood to follow Ienzo out, shrugging off the fact that Xehanort had not put in an appearance. It was difficult to tell with him when he might feel sociable, so it was pointless to feel offended.

Braig finished the remainder of Ienzo's pizza to the consternation of Even before he took the trays away. Eleaus crumpled up the sandwich wrapper and lobbed it over the heads of a couple, deeply immersed in having a good snog. The two didn't so much as look up as the projectile landed in the bin behind them. "Speaking of King Cormier, here's a question." he began seriously. "Who are you going to vote for?"

The other three looked deeply confused.

"You know, the election coming up. It's in the paper!"

Braig looked at him blankly. "Paper?" he asked intelligently.

Heaving a long-suffering sigh, Eleaus shook his head. "The newspaper, Braig. It's what people who don't contain their lives to the bubble that is academia and the bar scene read."

Dilan wrinkled his nose. "I've never cared about that crap. Honestly, I didn't even know that the King was stepping down."

Although Radiant Garden used the title of 'King' to refer to its ruler, it had in place a somewhat democratic system of government. Their current King had been in state several years, and was reasonably popular, but mostly due to the services of those in his employment.

"You should." Even said, surprising them all; usually he was just as out of the social loop as Braig and Dilan, if not more so. "The two new guys are definitely looking into making cuts in the school program. Which means us."

"Shit." muttered Dilan, obviously miffed that Even was right and he would have to pay attention.

"The good part is that most people aren't happy about it, considering that it's us academics who helped to make this place decent in the first place. However, I think the circumstances are weirder than just simple early retirement."

"How so?" Braig was interested despite himself.

In response, Eleaus paused to pull the article out of his bag, and read it aloud. "Citizens of Radiant Garden were shocked to hear rumours that King Cormier would be ending his reign early...um...replacement candidates are preparing campaign...oh here: A spokesperson for the King told reporters in an exclusive interview that the King would be resigning for health reasons. Professor Ansem from the Bastion Collegiate is rumoured to have knowledge of both the treatment and cause of this health-related issue. Professor Ansem was not available for comment."

"Hmmm. So Dr. A's involved in this too?"

"I guess." Eleaus said, watching as Braig snatched the paper from his hand, Dilan and Even peering over one of his shoulders each. "Personally, I think..."

Braig waved his hand, cutting the bigger man short and causing Even to elbow him when he moved the paper before he'd finished reading. "Whatever man, I'm not that into a political discussion. Plus, I gotta get out of here and start on that friggin' text book." He turned to Dilan next. "Shouldn't take me that long so let's grab a couple of drinks for a last hurrah around ten or so. Sound okay?"

"Yep."

It wasn't until Braig returned to his room that he realized he was still clutching the paper. He tossed it on his desk, next to his still unpacked bag.

* * *

Dilan arrived promptly at ten, knocked, waited for an answer then eventually opened the door. Braig was sitting on his bed, a half-eaten slice of pizza in his hand and staring with a rather glazed expression at his open text book. He didn't look up.

It wasn't until a foreign hand reached out and grabbed a slice of what remained of the dinner that Braig recognized the presence of an intruder.

"Ten already?" he asked in relief.

"Time to blow this joint" Dilan grinned around his mouthful, knowing better than to point out that his friend had eaten the same food for lunch as well. Braig was a notoriously poor cook in spite of his chemistry background, and it still offended Dilan's understanding of physics as to how he'd managed to once cook fish-sticks that were burnt on the outside and frozen on the inside. He watched as Braig tossed his book at the desk, grabbing some more leftovers and together they headed out of the building toward the bailey and the town.

They'd just reached their favorite bar and had settled down with a few drinks while Dilan proceeded to start telling Braig about the finer points of his summer job. Suddenly, Braig who had been quiet up until that point put a finger to his lips, and the other fell silent.

"What...?"

"Shh!" Braig turned around in his seat, and Dilan followed his line of sight. It was Ienzo, sitting with a couple of girls and a guy who all looked to be around his own age. They'd also been drinking, causing their louder voices to be easily overheard by the two PhD students from their booth.

"So." one of the girls began, leaning towards Ienzo in what she evidently hoped was a flirtatious manner. "What's it like being a grad student?"

"Were we ever that pathetic?" Dilan whispered, and Braig laughed, remaining silent so that the eavesdropping could continue.

Ienzo leaned in just as flirtatiously, apparently neglecting to mention that he'd not actually started any classes as of yet. "Pretty okay. The rest of them are kinda weird though. That Eleaus guy whose my advisor keeps telling me to study hard. I wouldn't BE here if I wasn't good!"

The girlfriend nodded enthusiastically, evidently determined to agree and Dilan nodded at Braig's knowing smirk. Almost everyone learned the hard way.

"The one guy with the ponytail and that other guy with the dreads seemed like they were pretty cool though." The second-year mused, daring to put an arm around the girl's shoulders.

Knowing of course that the young student would be mortified to be caught by his older classmates while drunk and in the midst of a clumsy courtship attempt, Braig stood, fighting to keep his laughter under control. "Hear that Dilan?" his voice carried easily to the other table. "We're apparently cool! Our lives have new meaning."

Ienzo went a bit red, and the girl straightened from where she'd been leaning into his shoulder, staring in a mix of embarrassment and curiosity at the two men she didn't recognize. The other two at the table seemed thankful for the interruption. Neither seemed to want to watch their friends hit on each other, and had been determinedly looking anywhere but at the couple.

"Hey, I know you!" the second girl pointed at Braig. "You were the one who blew up the Crystal Fissure last year, right? That really was cool!"

Braig thought he might have recalled her face vaguely from the class he'd presided over last year. He hadn't been lying when he said he hated to lecture (that was Xehanort's specialty), and had spent most of his time trying to think up innovative ways of trying to get across what he'd wanted to without the annoyance of having to stand in front of a class and drone. The incident in question had landed him in a load of shit with Professor Ansem, or as much shit as Professor Ansem was capable of dealing out to anyone, but more annoyingly, Eleaus hadn't spoken to him for a week; he'd apparently managed to destroy some rather important geological structures in the name of his own branch of science.

Nevertheless, it had been a pretty cool display of a chemical reaction and gravity magic; even Ansem had had to admit that not a single student from Braig's section had missed the question on the final.

Braig chatted fairly amicably with Ienzo's friends for a bit, and Dilan took the new addition to their ranks home in the end, having paid the bartender to cut him off early. He was still pretty drunk, but Elaeus didn't really have the strength of will necessary to take the kid to task if he showed up completely hung-over (or not at all) to their first class of the semester. That class alone should be enough to convince Ienzo that going out every night was about to become a luxury.

* * *

Thankfully, Dilan and Braig had not misjudged their new little buddy too much, as he appeared in class the next morning with a cup of coffee and only a mild grimace. Elaeus noted Ienzo's presence with relief, and the kid mouthed 'thank you' as soon as his back was turned.

Predictably, Xehanort had already arrived, nothing less than front and center, scribbling the date and a heading into a fresh notebook. Professor Ansem was behind the lectern. Ienzo came and sat next to Dilan, whom he'd seemed to have taken a liking to, raising an eyebrow at the professor. "Ice cream for breakfast?"

"Oh yeah." he nodded, Braig laughing on his other side. "I would have said something last night, but I don't think you were in a position to remember. Basically it's less of a lecture and more the crew here sitting around and spitting theories at one another, though sometimes he thinks we all need to hear something important. Next time, bring some lunch. Or go get some in the middle."

Ienzo looked as though he wasn't sure whether to think that this was the coolest idea ever or to be nervous about possibly not having any good theory to contribute. Even finally arrived, holding a cup of coffee and looking seriously harassed. "I hate lines." he spit by way of a good morning, but there was no time to tease him, as at that point the discussion started.

They finally broke up around three. Ienzo was looking thoughtful and mildly worried as they all stood and stretched from sitting so long. "You did fine kid, you're just gonna have to get used to this whole idea."

He nodded, realizing that if the others had managed to adapt, he might be able to as well. Just as a trace of the old confidence leaked back onto his features however, they overheard Xehanort behind them ask Ansem if he had a moment to discuss getting started on the specifics for his dissertation project.

"Geez, already?" Braig muttered. "The man's a machine!"

Even looked predictably mutinous, and Ienzo's features were once again awash with horror.

"Now THAT, you don't have to worry about." Eleaus patted his advisee's shoulder, having come up behind him. "Xehanort's a total keener, even by our standards."

Dilan nodded, a touch of Ienzo's worry beginning to infect him as well, even though he could predict perfectly well how the whole thing would turn out. Xehanort wasn't unlikable in the slightest really, he had a knack for organization and worked hard, but his determination to put Ansem on a pedestal made him fairly entertaining to abuse. Of course, Even would take the whole thing personally and likely wouldn't so much as sleep or eat until he'd found a project of his own. Privately, Dilan suspected that Braig might have been the best scientist of all of them, though it was hard to tell across disciplines. He tended to be the most innovative of the group, but lacked Xehanort or Even's drive and would likely wait until the very last second, complain to Dilan about the work then finally have a fit of brilliance that would end up being executed with the most minimal effort involved. In turn, Ansem would lament the waste of a good idea. As for himself, Elaeus and now Ienzo, he wasn't terribly sure, but he was ready to put forward the effort nonetheless.

"I said, dude, I'm going to the library for a bit." Braig's voice jolted him back to reality.

"Yeah, that was my plan too."

"Me too." added Ienzo and they could practically see Elaeus' internal dance of joy.

* * *

Ienzo might still be on the third floor, but Dilan had left to get the two of them some dinner. Braig was flipping through textbooks and previous thesis statements with rapid speed. Although he didn't like to admit it, Xehanort's head start had set him on edge too. 

A tap on his shoulder startled him from his concentration and he brushed the hand away irritably. "I already gave you money, Dilan. Go get the damn food."

The voice that replied was definitely not his friend. "Sorry, Braig. I ran into Dilan downstairs, he told me I'd find you here. I need to talk to you about something."

"Dude, I don't think I really need to hear about it."

"Pardon?"

"Sex. With Professor Ansem. I'm sure it was great, but I'm just not into those older men, y'know." A bit lame, he knew, but the man practically demanded the jibe by existing.

"Hilarious." Xehnaort said dryly, depositing himself into Dilan's vacated chair. "Listen, I need some help with my dissertation. I have no chemistry background, but you have a biology one, so you'll know what I need. I was wondering if you wanted to work with me. We'll do the project together, but write separate reports. I spoke to Dr. Ansem this morning and he believes it should be fine."

Braig was too shocked to even question what the project was. "Hell yeah! Solves my problem, doesn't it!"

Xehanort actually looked fairly happy, jumping right into an overview of the plan. "Thanks, I owe you one. We can get started tomorrow night. I need you to meet me down the basement of the Bastion. Wear jeans or something heavy, I think, and possibly bring protective wear. Sometime around..." he trailed off and thought for a moment. "Eight or Nine."

Braig raised an eyebrow, but scribbled the information down on a corner of his notebook. "Can you tell me what this project is?"

Xehanort looked rather perplexed and unusually confused. "I could, but the thing is, it's just a lot easier if you see it for yourself first. Then I can answer the rest of your questions a bit more competently."

Braig bit his tongue to stop himself from making a crack about his co-worker's usual interest in explaining everything in utmost detail, lest he decide that the Chemistry major's involvement with his project was unnecessary and he ended up losing the free ride. "Got it. Well then, I guess I'll see you tomorrow night."

Xehanort nodded and got up, giving a nod to Dilan as he stepped off the elevator with a bag of sandwiches in hand.

"So, what did Wonderboy want with you?" he asked, once the elevator door had closed behind Xehanort.

"You're not even going to believe it dude."

* * *

** Author's Notes: **All I know is that I've wanted to start this fanfiction project for sometime now. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Title:** No Leaf Clover

**Rating:** T

**Warnings:** A bit of language, Spoilers if you've not played through Kingdom Hearts 2 in its entirety, or don't know everything there is to know about Organization XIII. I don't really know at present what or even if I'll be doing in the way of pairings, but this chapter is fairly tame in that regard at least, in spite of several comments to after-hours activities.

**Disclaimer**: Kingdom Hearts is the Intellectual Property of Disney and SquareEnix.

**Summary:** In the beginning, there were six…and not a single one could have suspected that attempting to complete their education would cost them so much. How did these reasonably normal science students become the foundation for a force that nearly destroyed a dozen worlds?

* * *

**Chapter Two **

To his credit, if Dilan had been jealous of Braig's good fortune he had the courtesy not to mention it to his friend's face. He'd wished him good luck, and the other had enough sense to leave Dilan to his own devices after that. Braig expected nothing less from Eleaus when he found out, and Ienzo still didn't understand enough about the group to put up a fuss. Even might put on an amusing show if he felt jilted but it was far more likely he'd be smug that Xehanort had needed help of any kind.

He didn't get much of a chance to talk to anyone else the next day although he'd run into Xehanort at breakfast, surprisingly enough. He'd asked once again for more information, but it had only lead the other man to repeat exactly what had been said last night.

As a result, Braig felt a bit stupid leaning against the wall in the basement of the Bastion, the dial on his wristwatch announcing that it was 8:15. Xehanort had yet to put in an appearance and the Chemistry student was wishing he'd brought a book, or something else to entertain himself with. He took to glaring at a spot of black that decorated the plain grey brick, hoping that this experiment wasn't something totally lame like bacteria. Or mold.

Finally, the sound of footsteps echoed in the gloom, and a long unusually-shaped piece of metal equipment that Braig had never seen before preceded Xehanort down the stairwell.

"Finally. What the hell is that?" he asked, pointing. It looked like some kind of weapon, with a serrated edge on one side that resembled nothing so much as a bat's wing.

"Nice to see you too." Xehanort replied flatly, hefting the instrument in his right hand. "This attracts them."

The way the other man had emphasized 'them' was of enough interest to Braig to miss that his question had been somewhat dodged.

"Them?"

In response, Xehanort reached into his back pocket and pulled out a set of keys. He flipped through the ring, and stepped up to the storage room, Braig vying for a vantage point over his shoulder as he pulled the heavy door open.

For a moment, all was anticlimactically dark, but when Xehanort raised his right arm the room lit up. Not from a light, but from a half-dozen pairs of yellow, glowing eyes.

"Fuck!" Braig yelped, shock evident on his features. He backed off involuntarily as they started towards Xehanort who let the crudeness slide, an expression of concentration on his face. In a moment he'd heaved the door shut again.

Having recovered himself from the shock somewhat, Braig's opinion of this thesis had just gone from zero to thirty. He'd been studying chemistry for the past ten years of his life, and biology for the past nine. He knew full well that there was no record of anything like those shuffling, shuddering little creatures anywhere in the known world. "We're discovering a new species? A…mammal? No, a reptile?" He glared at the closed door as though he could will himself to see through the solid metal. "Shit. Shit, that's going to make history!"

"You see why I need your help?"

"Shit." Braig repeated one last time and gave his head a shake to focus. "Yes. Okay. Where are we starting."

"I was hoping we might be able to capture a specimen tonight. He waved the blade again. "When Ansem originally spoke to me about them, I tried to come down here and get one myself." He hiked up a pant leg to reveal a fairly nasty-looking gash on the front of his leg. "They don't look like much at first, but they've got sharp claws, and I barely got away when they started to swarm me."

"Barely got away?" Braig raised an eyebrow. He'd only caught a brief glimpse, but they couldn't have been any larger than a medium-sized dog.

"I couldn't allow them to escape the storage room."

"Sure." Braig began sarcastically, but caught a look at Xehanort's expression and reset his mind to the task. "Now, if they attack as a unit, then we're going to have to get one separate from the group, if we want it."

"If we can, we ought to try getting more than one. It's important to know if they have a hierarchy. I left some extra equipment down here last night, cages and the like. I've already reinforced them with the basic magical stuff, so it's pretty unlikely we'll have trouble."

That had been Braig's next question anyway, so he set himself to trying to determine just how they would go about culling one or two from the group. After a moment, he remembered Xehanort's blade. "How does that thing work, anyway?" he asked.

"I have a few hypothesizes." He started. "One is simple: namely that they're merely attracted to a color or design. The other and more highly probable idea is that they view it as a threat. It was in here with them, and they didn't seem to take much notice of me until I picked it up. It'll be just another thing to experiment on when we've got our samples."

"How 'bout this: We'll get a snare apiece and a cage ready. I'll run in and they'll go for you, right? Then, lob that over to me. One or two are bound to get confused, and we can use that time to grab one of them. If we're quick enough about it, we should both be able to lock the remainder in here without any trouble."

Xehanort thought the suggestion over, then apparently having deemed it plausible, went to retrieve the necessary items. As he opened the door again, Braig slipped inside using a torch to see his way through the gloom.

The beam of the torch scattered the creatures, sending them scuttling out of the light's way, and parting the ranks like subjects before a King. That reaction of control and food-chain superiority tugged gently at the edges of a scientific mind, but the more logical assumption and the one that the Chemistry student decided on was that retinal expansions and contractions ruled their reactions to the sudden exposure to the bright, intense light after being confined to such a dark space.

What was far stranger to Braig was the way that Xehanort held his new tool, glittering in a defensive stance at his shoulder. Cast in silhouette by the stairway lights, he looked as much a shadow as the creatures in the room.

"Braig!"

The unusual slip in concentration was rare for the Chemistry student, but he rallied nicely, stretching up his hand for the knife that was even now sailing through the air towards him. Xehanort was no athlete, but his toss was right on target, and it surprised the hell out of Braig when his own hand closed around nothing but air.

Inwardly cursing himself, Braig was braced for the inevitable ear-splitting scrape of metal against gravel floor. It never came. Instead, Xehanort was left blinking almost stupidly as his own hand re-closed spasmodically around the knife handle. If the circumstances had been different, Braig probably would have deduced that Xehanort had found a boomerang, but from his position in the middle of the hive, the black creatures had quickly converged on the unfortunate researcher.

Xehanort charged the specimens with his long knife held aloft, but Braig was quicker. His grasp of magic easily flattened the beasts under a _gravira_ spell and he scrambled up, making a beeline for the door. Predictably, Xehanort's chief concern was the fact that several of his specimens were dead and flatter than pancakes making even the corpses useless for further research, thanks to his partner's panic attack.

That reaction quickly switched to a horror Xehanort had no desire to mask as the insectile beasts rose from their 2D strata in the floor, resuming their shivery scuttle towards the scientists.

Ignoring the horrible pain that coursed upwards from the top of his thigh where one of the creatures had sliced right through the thick fabric of his jeans, Braig hurtled in, pulling the stricken Xehanort to safety and slamming the door on the questing creatures. He finally slumped after that.

"Amazing." Xehanort gasped as he sorted himself out, the bizarre situation with the knife currently far from his mind. Braig knew he wasn't talking about the rescue attempt, but he didn't care. Given the size and shape of the animals, their strength was truly impressive. Even Braig's magic had seemed to have done little recognizable damage.

"We can't catch them on our own." he noted. "We'll need some one stronger." He caught Xehanort's eye.

It was a rare moment. At any other time the sight of the Biology student caught looking truly humbled would have sent his colleague into a fit of laughter. Now, the glory glittering behind Xehanort's eyes was contagious, and Braig was unable to resist the pull of their now common goal.

"Eleaus."

* * *

Xehanort sat in a chair outside Ansem's office, barely paying attention to the muffled thrum of conversation coming from its depths. His hands were on his knees and he was attempting to calm his breathing. After the second disastrous attempt to capture a specimen, Braig had convinced him that perhaps the entire group of them should be in on this project. Even, Dilan and Eleaus were at least trustworthy, and there was enough work involved to keep them all occupied without stepping on each others toes. Xehanort wasn't stupid, he knew he'd really made the suggestion about Dilan to cover his best buddy's ass and then had been too polite to leave Even out of things as well. 

Of course, there was the fact that Ansem had to okay the whole deal, and Braig had wisely left that task to Xehanort himself. The silver-haired man's relationship with their mentor was a great deal different than the other students for good reason: Xehanort was an orphan and the professor had become his guardian. From what he knew, whoever his mother was seemed to have left him at the Bastion and Ansem had hypothesized that because it was so busy, he'd be sure to be found by someone. As that someone had been the professor, he'd grown up following his caretaker around, leading to a natural aptitude for science. The others came from a variety of different, but unspectacular backgrounds. The way Braig told it, his step mother was the devil incarnate, and his five younger step-siblings were equally demonic. Even was unsurprisingly the middle child of three while Elaeus claimed that his older sister had long married and moved out, having taken a job in the accessory shop in town. Xehanort figured she was probably the red-head he often saw in there but had never asked. Dilan was the only one of them without siblings, and his parents had been married for twenty-three long, boring years.

Nonetheless, Ansem was the closest thing that Xehanort had to family and as such, he knew a thing or three about how to get what he wanted out of him. When he was little, this had been limited to something along the lines of not having to eat vegetables he disliked and defiling his ice cream with chocolate syrup and candied cherries. The things his selfish mind desired had naturally changed since then so he got his game face on when he heard the door to the office squeak open.

His carefully thought out speech slipped his mind for a second when the visitor emerged. He couldn't help but stare at what was definitely a four-foot mouse dressed in garish red shorts sauntering out. Their eyes locked for a second, and the creature gave him a rather cheery grin which he was still too stunned to return. He recovered himself long enough to raise his hand in a return wave as he disappeared down the hall.

"Xehanort!"

He spun to face his mentor in the doorway, composing himself as he did so. "Sir!"

"Ah, I see you've met King Mickey. He's a relatively new friend of mine, but very clever indeed. He's helping me with...yes, well best that remain a secret for the present. What brings you here? I know you're busy, as am I, but we'll have to make some time for each other. After all, you're going to be what, twenty-six? I daresay that's as important a birthday as any other. And how are you and Braig progressing with your project?" Having exhausted his full concerned-parent and teacher repertoire, Ansem seated himself behind his desk, smiling proudly at his student and charge.

In his turn, Xehanort measured his reactions carefully. "Thank-you Sir. Yes, I will be twenty-six in about three weeks time." he nodded, bobbing his head in polite acquiescence to Ansem's ensuing hearty congratulations. "I've come to see you today on behalf of Braig and myself, however."

"Oh?" Ansem steepled his fingers while leaning forward on his elbows to give his full attention.

"We've had some difficulty capturing a specimen, and we...I'd like..." he amended. "I'd like to work with everyone together, instead of looking for outside help. Dilan and Eleaus and Even too. Braig agrees with me that it's such a large project, we need a team instead of just one or two of us." Crossing mental fingers Xehanort was on tenterhooks, waiting for the decision.

To his great relief, Ansem's face split into a wide smile. "Of course!" he nodded, delight evident in his voice and features. "Project aside, it's wonderful to see you taking an interest in others, Xehanort! If you'll forgive me for saying so, you were always so aloof from everyone and you have such a knack for leadership. Of course you can include the others. I'm sure they'll be delighted to work on such an intriguing project. It's actually quite helpful to me while I set…ah, again, I'm about to say too much."

Xehanort had not missed this second near-lapse in his guardian's secrecy, but he was too excited to try for a second victory. Instead he stood, heading directly for his quarters and the nearest telephone. He felt a powerful surge of adrenaline. Everything was in motion, he was accelerating faster and faster towards something, but he didn't know what.

* * *

"Dude!" Braig raced across the quad to catch up with Eleaus, who mercifully had paused to talk to a girl carrying a few Bunsen burners and a laptop bag similar to Braig's own. He reached them in time to hear the last few snippets of their conversation. 

"I don't see you much around the gym anymore." the girl was saying, and Braig noted that she like Eleaus was clearly a fair bit on the athletic side.

"Don't have quite as much time as I used to, Una." he said apologetically. "I'm working on my dissertation this year, and..."

"How's it going?"

The taller man smiled modestly. "Well, I haven't had any brainwaves yet, but you never know."

"Ah well, best of luck." she waved and took off with the hurried, perpetually nervous stride that all undergrad students seemed to subconsciously adopt in front of their elders.

"Oh, hi, Braig." Eleaus started, evidently heretofore unaware of Braig's presence.

"A girlfriend of yours?" The chemistry student's eyebrows were in danger of disappearing into his hairline.

The taller of the two shook his head. "No, just someone I know from the gym."

"She wasn't bad-looking." Braig said fairly.

"Bit young for me, frankly. She's a second year."

"Geology?"

"Physics, I think. Besides, I'm a bit more interested in getting my degree before I worry about a relationship. I'd like to actually have time to dedicate to someone."

Braig shrugged, then changed the topic. "Listen. How's your Tuesday schedule looking? Around one or so. It's important."

Eleaus thought. "It'll be cutting it close for my office hours, but if it's important, I can squeeze it in."

"Perfect, We'll meet in the lab down the corridor by Ansem's office."

* * *

When Tuesday rolled around, Eleaus had not been expecting to meet both Dilan and Even on his way to the lab in question. "Did Braig ask you to come too?" he asked. 

Dilan nodded, but Even shook his head. "Xehanort."

They entered together, silent. Whatever this was, they at least wouldn't have to wait very long to find out.

Their two colleagues were already there, deep in a somewhat hushed conversation that was interrupted when they heard the door. Xehanort took a seat in one of the chairs, Braig sitting on the desk.

"Gentlemen." Xehanort nodded politely.

"Hey guys." Braig offered, but his obvious excitement was tempered by an obviously serious edge.

It didn't take them terribly long to give an overview of the project, nor did it come as a surprise that not a single individual among their number did not wish to participate. As Braig had commented earlier, this was indeed a big deal.

Even had wanted to see the black creatures straight away, but Xehanort was completely convinced that they were nocturnal.

Fortunately it was Braig that had brought that point up, so an argument was avoided. A brief account of their disastrous earlier attempts to corner a specimen was discussed, and Xehanort gave the three new additions a detailed report that he felt would help them out in their second try tonight. Not a one of them, Even included argued that idea.

At that point, Elaeus had to return to his work, and Braig had booked some lab hours, so the meeting was adjourned rather abruptly.

* * *

Slipping out of the office, Ienzo looked at the sea-salt ice cream bar in his hand, feeling a great deal better about his class situation. He'd taken Even's first-day advice and gone to speak with the professor. Ansem was friendly enough, had given him some ice cream and asked him questions about the course work, that he'd been gratified to find he could answer. He'd been honest with him, and said that he still had some way to go, but was confident that Ienzo would do well. All truth be told, in the final analysis his new supervisor was a touch on the odd side, but not a bad sort overall.

He was just deciding that the ice cream was kind of a cool perk, when he heard a voice he thought he recognized issuing from a lab at the other far end of the corridor. Curiously, he turned around, wandering back up the way he'd come. The door was ajar, and as he'd predicted, Dilan was there, talking to all of the rest of his classmates.

Ienzo's heart started to pound with nervousness. Had he missed something important? No, that was impossible. He'd just been with Professor Ansem, so he couldn't have missed a class meeting. Maybe he'd missed a message from one of them. He wondered if he should go in and excuse himself for not showing up.

No, he'd listen for awhile longer first. He was already late, and he'd look ridiculous if he didn't know what he was apologizing for.

"…shouldn't be a problem…" that was Braig. "Elaeus, you can work out a report on their habitat, Even and Xehanort can figure out something about their physical structure apiece, Dilan, we know they're resilient to magic, so I'm sure you can use that to your advantage, and I'll look into genetic makeup. If you don't decide or want to do those suggestions, who cares?! There's enough to keep us working on the things for the rest of our natural lives, let alone our thesis."

Ienzo pulled away. He'd heard about Braig working with Xehanort of course, but now it was all of them? Ienzo was certainly mature enough to understand why they hadn't thought to include him, but Braig's words echoed in his mind as he strolled slowly back up the hall, thinking carefully to himself. There was a lot of work involved. That should stand to reason that the group would probably not be too terribly concerned if one more individual joined up.

The question was of course, how to do it. None of them, not even Eleaus seemed vulnerable to the long-suffering sighs of an oh-so-overworked student. Braig or Dilan might be impressed by the balls needed for a direct request but Even and Xehanort would veto rudeness.

Ienzo sighed, but set himself. He'd just have to work on each separately and play to their individual weaknesses. His mind was already formulating a plan of attack however and at least he knew he'd be in within the week.


End file.
